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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 25, 1909)
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Foreign postags double ratea Eastern Baldness Office The S. C. Beck wlth Special Agency New York, rooms 48 l Tribune building. Chicago, rooms 610-611 Tribune building. PORTLAND, THURSDAY, FEB. 25, 1909. WE SHALL A LI. SEE LATER. The Springfield (Mass.) Republican thinks Oregon may be the first state to enter upon the policy of public ownership of railroads, and of Social istic policy In general. It Is & some what natural supposition from obser vation of the erratic course the State has pursued during some years past. ". But others think that Oregon iwill not enter upon this policy of public own ership of railroads and general So cialism. With these The Oregonian quite agrees. What has been done In speculative politics in Oregon is one thing; public ownership would be another and very different thing. The people are -willing to try experiments in politics but there are limits even here, which now are Just about fully reached. They are not. however, willing to mortgage the state to bondholders for construction of railroads that the state couldn't operate without con tinuing loss if it had them, or to in stitute a system that finally would strip every owner of his property and business, and make the state the land lord over all. From what The Oregonian learns, from many and various parts of the state, it Judges that the people think their taxes high enough now, and somewhat too high, since the pay ment Is putting nearly all the avail able money within the state into the various public treasuries, leaving very little to do business with. Of course this money will be disbursed after a while, but at present it makes exces sive tightness. There is enough of this now, without increasing the stress and stringency by levies on every owner's property for payments of interest on railroad bonds and deficits on cost of operation. Promoters of this scheme to break down the barriers of the Constitu tion are mostly polit'clans. projectors or adventurers who have little or nothing to lose, or men who think that by playing the part of sharpers they will be able to make money out of it. Not so the masses of the peo ple, the laborious classes, who pursue their various employments in a straightforward way and struggle for independent self-support. Not so those who have acquired some prop- .' erty, more or less, and intend not to allow it to be conliscated through suc h jugglery as that attempted by J. X. Teal and his organ, and other pro- moters of this wild delusion. There will he more light on this later, as on various other economic fallacies that have been dealt with by the people of Oregon in the course of the history of the state. STEEL TRUST COMPETITION. The United States Steel Corporation Is the greatest Industrial monopoly the world has ever seen. It has pro duced more millions for its stockhold ers and promoters than any other trust in existence, and last year, one of the poorest in Its history. It showed net earnings of $91,826,520. In 1907 these earnings reached the enormous total of J156,619,lll. and in 1906 at tained high-water mark with a profit over and above all expenses, sinking funds, etc., of $160,984,477. The steel trust has wrung from the consumers such extravagant profits that, after paying heavy quarterly dividends, making liberal allowances for mainte nance of, plants and improvements, and in other directions spending vast sums, there still remains a surplus of $133,143,178. This -immense wealth has all been piled up within a few years, and has been made possible by the almost complete elimination of competition either at home or abroad. Steady absorption of competitors in this country end inability of foreign competitors to scale the tariff wall have allowed profits In the business that are out of all proportion to the cost of manufacturing the product and placing it on the market. To perfect this great monopoly it was, of course, necessary for the promoters of the steel trust to gather in a large number of comparatively worthless plants, for which stock was liberally issued, and the excessive profits were based, not on what these plants iwere actually worth, but on what it had cost to silence them. But, despite its magnificent proportions and its prac tically unlimited resources, the steel trust cannot perpetuate its monopoly, and it is now facing a more serious crisis than at any previous period in Its history. The small Independent dealers, with plants unburdened by watered stock and extravagant flotation values, have for several weeks been underselling 'the trust and securing so much busi ness that the big monopoly has at last thrown down the gauntlet and an nounced a war to the death. It is un fortunate in this crisis that the Ten nessee Coal & Iron Company, the -roost formidable competitor in the field against the trust, should have passed over to Its control: but, even without the aid of the great Southern concern, the small manufacturers may succeed In demonstrating that this is too big a country for any one industry to be monopolized by an individual trust. The impending strife will be viewed with great interest, not only by the consumers who will profit by the re duced prices, but by the students of .political economy who will see in this Industrial war a display of all of the points of strength and weakness in an economic system which makes possi ble such combinations. . The trust, with its immense resources, may suc ceed at ' heavy cost in putting down the present insurrection, but money is too plentiful in this country for the corporation to enjoy more than a com paratively brief period of immunity from competition. In the end the at tempt to control all of the country's steel business will, through necessity, be abandoned, and there will be no more buying up of worthless plants at extravagant figures, for no other pur pose than to silence opposition and ad mit of extortion in prices. VETOES AXD VETOES. The Oregonian inclines to the opin ion that Governor Chamberlain acted with propriety In his veto of Senate Wl! 47. which TroDosed to "require every male person seeking to enter the marriage relation to submit to an examination by a physician and pro cure a certificate from him that he is free from contagious or infectious venereal diseases as a condition to procuring such license." It Is a re volting subject that may as well be let alone. To decent men jt would be an Insult. Indecent ones could evade it, one way or another. Young women and their parents ought to learn the habits of young men. or something of their habits, before marriages from careful inquiry into their general behavior and reputation. On this subject there is very little ex cuse for ignorance or error. But the veto of Albee's vagrancy bill does not seem eo justifiable. It shows too much regard for "hobos." The bill provided that persons "guilty of any violent, riotous, or disorderly conduct, or becoming Intoxicated, or who shall use any profane, abusive or obscene language in any street, high way, house or place whereby the peace or quiet of the neighborhood or vicinity may be disturbed, or who shall be guilty of any Indecent or im moral act or practice" should be pun ished by fine or imprisonment, or both: also that able-bodied beggars should be subjected to similar pen alties. In most of our cities and towns the laws against! vagrancy now cover such cases as these; but in the coun try, and especially about the suburbs, there is much annoyance from these loafers, beggars and vagabonds; and good citizens who are plagued with, them will not think much of the Governor's argument in their behalf. Some unlucky salary bills suffer from vetoes, which might have been averted had they carried emergency clauses and the Governor been em powered to appoint. A PROPOSED INCOME TAX. When a national treasury encoun ters a deficit in time of peace, one of three things is Indicated. Either there has been extravagance in the conduct of the government, or there Is increasing poverty among the peo ple, or the sources of revenue have not been properly studied and ex ploited. Our steadily Increasing Na tional deficit cannot be accounted for either by extravagance or poverty. The expense of government has been growing of late years far beyond any necessity, but the wealth of the coun try has been growing faster still. It must be confessed also that we have incurred a large part of the Increased cost by our deliberate choice. As a people we decided years ago to be come a world-power. We made up our minds to take an active part in the affairs of the wide earth and to stand as an equal among the proudest and most powerful nations. This costs money. Since we enjoy the sen sation of helping conduct the affairs of the world, probably we shall not think it desirable to grumble over the expense of the luxury. To be perfectly frank, we must also admit that as the Nation expands at home more money is required to keep up the Government. We have been expanding very rapidly of late, not only in population, but in the develop ment of new territory, in railroad building, trade, corporate 4ndustry and all the complexities of modern life. The machinery of government has grown In magnitude and intricacy with the enlargement of the Nation and naturally the expense has kept pace with the rest. To meet the new- charges, which have fallen upon the Government, we have relied almost entirely upon old and well tried sources of revenue. Few new ones have been opened up. Some of the old ones have been abandoned. The Government derives its income today, just as it did fifty years ago, from the tariff and the internal revenue taxes. The tariff is not primarily in tended to produce revenue. Its prin cipal object is to exclude imports. A revenue-producing tariff is so laid that It will leave Imports at a maxi mum, since the more goods our merchants purchase abroad the more duties they iwlll pay Into the Na tional treasury. As long as we adhere to the pro tective system, we cannot expect the tariff to produce revenue enough .to support the Government, . although it might be made much more produc tive than it is without trying the dan gerous expedient of Imposing new taxes on articles of common use, like , coffee. Such a tax would be odious, while it would help but little in solving the problem of the deficit. The Inter nal revenue taxes on liquor and to bacco might be increased with no in- Jury to anybody and some gain to the Government. Tobacco will bear al most any amount of taxation without perceptible falling off in its sale. The same is true of alcoholic drinks, but with them It is well to be cautious on moral grounds. When the price of pure liquor becomes excessive, adul teration is practiced and beverages made cheap and poisonous by drugs intensify the evils of Intemperance. Through a rational tariff and an Im proved internal revenue system, it is highly probable that the resources of the Government might be materi ally increased, but students 6f finance are Inclined to the opinion that some new method of raising revenue must be devised before the specter of the deficit can be finally laid. Jacob H. Schiff, the New York financier, is of the opinion that the best expedient upon the whole is an income tax. He does not favor the Imposition of new taxes upon com modities or up:n bank .checks, tele grams, and 60 on. He believes the country should have "a real revenue producing system," which shall be independent of the tariff with its political complications and "affect as little as possible the bank and cur rency systems." These requirements, in his opinion, an Income tax would meet If it were properly devised. Cer tainly the revenue system of the Gov ernment ought not to depend upon the fortunes of political parties as it always must until It is severed from the tariff. More clearly still It ought not to cause the currency to fluctu ate and the banks to totter every ten or fifteen years. The Supreme Court has once declared that an income tax was unconstitutional, but the decision has not been deemed conclusive for various reasons. Only five judges concurred In it and of those one had previously de cided the other way. Perhaps, If the case came before the court again precisely as it stood before, the de cision would be reversed. Some lawyers of great eminence have pub licly predicted that this would happen. But Mr. Schiff and others say that the objections to the income tax of 1S94 can be avoided sn a new law. The Supreme Court ruled out a tax levied "on incomes from , real estate and on invested personal property," but it seems to have indicated that one laid on "business privileges or employments" might be constitutional because It would be of the nature of an excise tax and not a direct tax. Direct taxes must be apportioned ac cording to the population of. the 6tates, but excises may be laid ac cording to any rule which Congress raay adopt. 1 "if an income tax is an excise, there fore, it is constitutional and it may be imposed not only on interstate busint'-ss, but on business of all sorts. The objection that It is inquisitorial will not weigh heavily, because any tax which is efficiently collected is inquisitorial, one almost as much as another. The reason why our present personal property taxes seem to es cape the objection Is that they are only partially assessed. An Income tax would be intolerable if it were not fairly Imposed so as to fall in due proportion upon all business en terprises; but if that were accom plished it is scarcely more harassing than any other tax,, while it offers much the easiest and cheapest way for the Government to raise revenue. FATALITY. The late Senator Mitchell, of Ore gon, receives mention again. It comes out through the Cooper mur der trial at Nashville. "I have been trying," wrote Senator Carmaek to Colonel Cooper, "to get Senator Mitchell. of Oregon, to locate some good place for Van, in connection with the Panama Canal, as he is do ing something for some one else." "Van" was a friend of Colonel Cooper. ' Senator Mitchell, through the cus tom and courtesy of the Senate, was at the head of the Senate committee on interoceanic canals. It is well known that the administration did not desire him to be in that position, but was most unwilling he should hold it. It required qualities of a very different kind from those which Senator Mitchell possessed. Connection of the Senator's name with certain transactions in Oregon gave the opportunity. Prosecution of Senator Mitchell followed. There was a fatality about it; for, except for his own act, in the mistaken en deavor to protect himself, no charge could have been fastened upon him. There was an attempt to substitute one paper for another, fabricated for the purpose, and perjuryt to support it. This caused his ruin. Yet with out this there was nothing that could have overthrown him no matter what the suspicions might have been. But that substituted or succedane ous document was fatal. Surely there was a fatality about it. Mr. Mitchell for forty years had been tempting and trying and testing every form of Intrigue, and always hitherto had been successful. It Is as If a soldier goes unscathed through a hundred battles, and falls at last by a stray or accidental shot; as Johnson writes of Charles XII of Sweden: Jtls fall was destined to a forcipn strand. A petty fortress and a dubious hand. The administration at Washington was unwilling that Senator Mitchell should be continued at the head of the Senate committee on oceanic canals. It had reason. ITS NOSE FOR SALACITY. "The police department of the city should not be asked nor expected to put In its time from other and more useful work in keeping tab on them" (saloons which run gambling), said the Mayor in his remarkable message to the Council yesterday. What other and more useful work? The Mayor refers, of course, to In vasion by the pblice in force of lodg ing houses to see if every couple that happens' to be occupying a room jointly has a marriage license under the pillows. The police have no time Indeed from their "other and more useful work" to see what any casual visitor to the North End may at any time see, as Councilman Wrills saw gambling at various notorious resorts carried on with scarcely a pretense f secrecy. Does or does not this suggest police protection protection from this highly virtuous Lane administration? But let there be any irregularity about the names on any hotel or lodg ing house register, and the moral squad, backed by an ample corps of blue-coated crusaders. Is at once dis patched from headquarters with in structions to bring the quarry to jail. dead or alive, dressed or undressed. The raiders burst through doors, in sult women, threaten men, and create panic and terror everywhere in their efforts to "get" somebody. Of course, this sort of thing is never done when the quest Is for gamblers or other such lawbreakers. This administration has a nose for salacity only. NEW STATES SOON. The Senate committee, which has the matter in charge, admits that there will be no opportunity at the present session for favorable action on the application of Arizona and New Mexico for statehood. This does not imply that the project is unfavorably regarded by Congress, for, now that the former proposition of combining the two territories Into 'one state has been abandoned, there is not much opposition to the admission of the new states. The objectionable char acteristics of the wild and woolly fron tier have been eliminated from the few remaining territories to such an extent that no valid reason can be of fered for their continuing under a ter ritorial form of government. ' In both Arizona and New Mexico there has been remarkable Irrigation development, and both of the candi dates for statehood have many and varied resources. New Mexico has an area of 122,680 square miles, and, while the census returns of 1900 gave It but 195,310 population, it is be lieved that there are now nearly 500, 000 people within its borders. Much Of this land Is better adapted to graz ing than for any other purpose, but there are also numerous wide valleys in which irrigation has worked won ders. Arizona, while slightly smaller than New Mexico, is, with Us area of 113,200 square miles, larger than any other state In the Union except Texas, California and Montana. It has a population of about 200,000 people, of whom less than 20 per cent are foreign-born, and almost all of these for eigners are Mexicans. Both Arizona and New Mexico have wonderful mineral resources and are susceptible of great development. The admission of territories into the Union has always been granted as soon as they have demonstrated their Importance and worth", and there Is no good reason why the stars of New Mexico and Arizona should be kept oft the American flag any longer. If one-half the effort being made to boycott the Harriman lines were ex pended in aiding to secure the right or way through the Deschutes Canyon, the Central Oregon railroad would be completed within the next two years. It is, perhaps, unfortunate for Port land that Mr. Harrlman's plans do not include a road traversing the length and breadth of an Eastern Oregon wagon-road land grant. However, If Mr. Harriman is prevented from build ing up the Deschutes, where he how desires to build, he may be forced to build from Ontario, which would force him to open up a considerable portion of this land grant, and that ought to satisfy the boycotters; who are play ing fast and loose with Portland's business interests. It Is of small con sequence to these Portland owners and agents of Central Oregon land grant3 whether the line drains the Central Oregon traffic to San Francisco or not, so long as their big grant i3 enhanced in value. But why should Portland refuse aid to the Deschutes route and at the same time play into the hands of the land-grant monopolists? The two dozen Chinamen captured In a sealed car at San Luis Obispo say they were smuggled in by a Gov ernment official. That Is probable. The exclusion law was enacted more than twenty years ago and there are today many Celestials with' all the marks of fresh arrival in this coun- trv, knowing nothing of the language and just as much "heathen" as if they were In Canton. The truth of it is, they have got in Irregularly. Pos sibly this latest squad tells the truth and it is to be hoped the rascally official who aided them will be found and punished. Many of the more progressive rest dents of the rural districts of the state would like to have good roads, and would gladly help to build them, If there were anything left from the enormous tax levy upon their prop erty after the increase in the army of officials and of salaries all along the line for this or any other useful purpose. But then roads are old fashioned commodities anyway, and most of the thing3 for which public money is expended are new and up to date. Good roads we can do without more officials and higher salaries we must have. "Women teachers," said Dr. O'Shea, of the University of Wisconsin, to the Illinois Conference of Mothers yester day, "have a tendency to cause too much effeminacy among boys. There should be more muscularity." The doctor does not belie the ancestry shown by his name. Boxing should be added to the public school course. Every healthy boy reads the sport ing columns nowadays. Since . Nosey Joseph lost his posi tion in the Harriman service he has been "awfully ugly," and now he in sists on public ownership of the rail roads. That state railroad at Celilo of which more anon affords a fair introductory example. Its "balance sheet" is a wonder. Speaking of that grand state-supported poultry farm, we are con strained on reflection to remark that Hon. Joe Tear would be right in his element setting a sitting hen, or aid ing a setting hen to sit, as the case may be. Though perhaps his prefer ence runs to ducks. ' A woman at L,ong Beach, Cal., yes terday swam for seven hours continu ously. "And yet," says the report, "she came, here practically an in valid." This was in California, where everybody has to swim during the long and rainy Winters or take his chances. - - The Elgin, 111., millionaire banker, 70 years old, who married his 40-year-old washerwoman Tuesday, may have more wisdom than is credited him. His latest years will be spent in com fort, for the bride seems to have been a woman of merit. . Passengers on a belated train that got Into Portland yesterday brought grouches with them because they had nothing to e'at after leaving Ashland, a matter of merely sixteen hours. Ri diculous people! What better way to begin Lent? Now just wait till Councilman Wills is Mayor; then, no doubt, we shall have a few interesting letters from ex Mayor Lane on his startling discov eries in the North End. Or shall we? Strange things occur. - The New York Herald has become the most strenuous advocate of protective tar iff in, the whole field of Journalism of the United States. When you raise your umbrella on leaving home it is hard to believe there is a .deficiency of over three inches in the normal rainfall, but the facts prove it. In the case of Patrolman Stuart there may be extenuating circum stances. They all had 'em, including Adam, King David and , the . rest of the bunch. That itinerant photographer with the story of drugging by a designing woman was out for what he could get, and he got what was coming to him. . There's no way to keep a Seattle man down. Nine men Imprisoned by falling dirt at the bottom of a sewer shaft dug their way out to safety. . The Japanese papers are all fairly dee-lighted that the Atlantic fleet Is safely back back In the Atlantic Ocean. The record-breaking 200-foot flag pole for the Seattle fair is of the tim ber known as Oregon fir nevertheless. Taft's Inaugural is said to be short. Depend upon a fat man to be brief, for obvious reasons. No licensed gambling in Nevada? It must be that there are no suckers left. . BRYAX OJT LINCOLN. Ilia Erroneous Estimate of Lincoln aa an Orator. Indianapolis News. M. Bryan says that, -without a "military career to dazzle the eye or excite the imagination," and with no public . service to make his name familiar, Lincoln's "elevation to the Presidency would have been impos sible without his oratory." ' It is natural that the orator should magnify " his art; natural that men should praise Lincoln for those quali ties which they themselves most ad mire. Yet we think that if Mr. Bryan had heard Lincoln speak he would have ranked him very low as an orator. He was an effective public speaker,' a close reasoner, a logical de bater, but of oratory he was almost wholly guiltless. Those who heard him deliver his Gettysburg address, which has gone into the school books as an almost perfect piece of English, were in no way Impressed by either the manner of the speaker or the mat ter of his address. His great. Cooper Uriion speech, which did impress the country profoundly, was an exhaustive legal argument. Of course, it is true that the great debate with Senator Douglas brought Xvlr. Lincoln's name conspicuously be fore the public People learned to their surprise that there was an ob scure man out in Illinois strong enough to vanquish one of the ablest and best-known debaters In the Na tion. And when men read the Lincoln speeches they were impressed by them, not as exhibitions of oratory, but as affording proof that the man who made them was master of the subject with which he dealt, the possessor of a powerful mind, and the representa tive of the thought which was soon to become dominant in the country. We Should say that the comparatively few speeches that Lincoln, made and how few they are as compared with those made by our public men today! contributed little to his success be yond introducing him to the country. They made him known to men who might not otherwise have hoard of him at all, and made him known as a man of solid attainments, of deep con viction, and of substantial character. The truth Is that the orator has never won great favor at the hands of the American ' people. - The careers of Webster, Clay, Blaine and of Mr. Bryan himself, prove this. Mr. Lin coln does not belong in this class. We think it well to make this clear, because there is always danger that our young men may be too greatly dazzled by the fame of the orator. We should Say that the last thing the country needs at the present time is oratory. It needs rather men who are carefully trained to close and accurate thinking, and to sober and restrained utterance. If they are to speak, they should think more of what they are to say than .of how they are to say it. As speech Is easy for most men, and thinking:' extremely hard and dis tasteful, there is "always danger that they may subordinate tho latter to the former. So it seems more profitable to think of Lincoln as a patient stu dent of public affairs, a clear thinker, an accurate reasoner, and a convincing debater, than as In . any sense an orator. We do not believe that the foundation for Lincoln's success was his power as a public speaker though that was great but rather his character and genius. In our opinion Mr. Bryan himself, strong as he is with the people, and deservedly so, would have been still stronger had he made fewer speeches and indulged less in oratory. PADEKRVVSKI SUED BY STEPSON. Ill Will Engendered by Young Mnn'a Marrince to a Jewess. t PARIS. Feb. 20. When Ignace Pad erewski arrives art his Summer home in Morges, near Lausanne, Switzerland, he may find that the law courts have taken up the hearing of a claim for almost as much money as he has made thfs year in America. His stepson, Wencelas Otto Gorski, has sued the great Polish pianist for one-half of the estate left to the pres ent Mme. Paderewski, the mother of young Gorskl. When Paderewski cap tured Mme. Gorski she had a large fortune which was left by her former husband, who was counsellor of state in Russia. Also there was the young son, Wencelas. .Paderewski took him over to New York as his manager three years ago. The young man went to Chicago in advance of- the Paderewski tour, and there he was taken ill. The purse who attended him during his illness was & young Chicago girl named Silv.eira, For two weeks he lay abed while she took care of him. Arisingfrom his sick bed. young Gors ki married her. On his return to Eu rope ho 'went with; his young wife to Switzerland, to the Paderewski place at Morges. There, it is said, his stepfather gave him a very cold reception, and his mother, who adores the great pianist, made him take a bedroom at the vil lage hotel. Their objection seemed to be that he had married a young girl of Jewish .birth. A leading Franco American lawyer has taken up tlo young man's case, and Gorski is more than likely to get a share of the Rus sian fortune. Musings of the Gentle Cynic. New York Times. Nailing a lie won't always keep it down. The rolling stone never makes an up hill fight. A politician is a gooa mi line a pi ano. If he Is square he Is considered old-fashioned. On a windy day it is quite trying for a woman to attempt to hold up her skirt. . hold on her hat and hold her tongue, all at once. , Popularity Isn't always worm tne price. High ideals are often as unmanage able as airships. After all, it may be better to be paid baric in vour own coin than never to be paid back-at all.. The world would be a great deal more unhappy than it is if we had all mar ried the eirls we fell In love with at first sight. Evidently Ho Hadn't. Manchester Union. A young man who persisted in whis pering loudly to the lady who accom panied him to a symphony concert, told her what the music "meant," what sort of passage was coming next; and so on, causing serious annoyance to every one of his immediate neighbors. Presently he closed his eyes and said to his companion: "Did you ever try listening to music with your eyes shut? You've no Idea how lovely it sounds." Thereupon a gentleman who sat in a seat in front of the young man twisted himself about and said, gravely: Young man, did you ever try listening to mufeic with your mouth shut?" Explanation Needed. Detroit Free Press. Is this good old world of ours get ting rickety or Is the seismograph on a joint toot with the thermometer jnd barometer and social speedometer f Factt " Washington Herald. " "The Winning of the South,' by William Howard Taft, promises to be one of the best sellers of the day," says an enthusiastic contemporary. yictlon? TAKES IT OUT ON BOWERMAN. Pathetic View of the Closing of Ore f son's Normal Schools. MONMOUTH, Or., Feb. 23. (To the Editor.) Permit me -to answer through the columns of your paper the Hon. Mr. Bowerman, who so kindly told us why the. normal schools of the fair state of Oregon met their "Waterloo" at j the Capitol building the memorable even 1 ing of February 20, in the year of Our I Lord 1909. , Even- assuming, that the schools for I the proper training and educating of young women and young men for the work of teaching our boys and girls in our public schools are nuisances ana grafts as compared to 4the noble calling of legislating for appropriations for the building of mountain roads to lead to an extinct volcano that might well be ashamed to lie quiet while the rich man's launch glides over the surface of the water known as Crater Lake, In the face of the fact that It rests in the mountains of Oregon, a state left almost alone among its sisters of cuir great country, by such noble and thoughtful men as Senator Bowerman, we ask Mr. Bower man why he so kindly explained to. the people in Monday's paper his reasons for brushing the normal schools of our state off the map and placing Oregon In the unique position she now has cause to be ashamed of, 1. e., the only state of any importance in all our country that has no normal schools. Does Mr. Bowerman represent the peo ple of Oregon, or his own personal af fairs? Does Mr. Bowerman realize that California and Washington can, and of right may, say,to the thousands of intel ligent men and women coming to the West, ''Come to our states, but why go to Oregon, when Its representative solons (not all we are glad to say. but some, and enough of them) are willing to close the institutions of learning which are a credit to any state and give back to the world more real value than such men as Mr. Bowerman ever did or can." Does Mr, Bowerman begin to see that a cry of derision is going up from every part of Oregon on account of the work done by Mr. Bowerman and his kind? Never in the history of any state has such a thing been done before and possi bly Mr. Bowerman thinks he can Justify himself before our people when ho tries to explain It, by saying small towns are not the proper place for such institutions. Small, quiet, healthful localities, where no saloons, no city rush and turmoil Is, as compared with large cities, may be the poorer place for preparation for one of the noblest callings among men, but do the people of Oregon believe such is the case ? The normal schools of Oregon at Ash land and at Monmouth will continue un less the 'Board of Regents order other wise, and in the meantime Mr. Bowerman may try to explain and may quiet his own conscience, but when the SrtO grad uates of Monmouth begin explaining a few things to him well, we pity Mr. Bowerman. GROVE A.. PETERSON. LEARNING WHAT ARB BEST FOODS New York's Newest Club Begins a Cam paign of Education. New York Herald. To give Instruction in scientific housekeeping is the object of New York's new club. It isn't strictly a woman's club either, for men have come to the rescue of struggling housewives and are prepared to help in the mathematical branch of the service whenever it is necessary to work out the proper proportions of proteins, fats and carbohydrates before going to market or cooking a dinner. Associated Clubs of Domestic Science is the national name of the new organi zation. There is also a New York branch, the first meeting of which will be held at the Hotel Astoria Saturday afternoon. Besides educating the housewife in the chemical composition and nutritive value of food and the proportion in which these nutriments should be eaten to give the best results for health and economy, the organization will promote all public causes the object of which is the protection of pure food and the prevention of retrograde movements where pure food laws have been ob tained. All departments of public science work, whether In schools or clubs, will have the aid of the new organization, and besides educating the housewife ef forts will be made to Instruct hotel keepers on the Important facts of the science of dietetics. All laws relating to the protection of food, whether National or state, will be carefully guarded by the new as sociation, whose members will report any failure to enforce the law. The members will also inspect all places where food is prepared and give pub licity to the lack of cleanliness. More Taxesf Perhaps But. Ohio State Journal, Rep. There is talk now of resorting to special taxes, which are better known as war taxes, and which touch closer the every day needs of the people than the tariff or the taxes on liquor and tobacco. Con gress, in the face of a deficit, has gone on raising salaries, voting millions to warships, paying off 40-year-old trumped up claims and various other exorbitances and extravagances, and now thinks of turning war taxes on the people and put ting the burdens on their every-day toll and needs. The Republican party ought not to do this. For the people's sake, it should re frain from, this resort to special taxation, and for its own sake, too, fo- when the discussion goes back to the question, What gave rise to the necessity for the special taxes? Congress will have great difficulty in defending itself before the people; for the popular Idea is that the expenses of a government should hold some correspondence with the life of the people, and not with the exigencies of Washington society and its idea of the grandeur of the Nation. Under tho Sign of the Scholar. Buffalo Commercial. The President-elect is naturally grat ified by' the report of his son's Initia tion into Phi Beta Kappa at Yale. ,The old-fashioned key worn by those who have a right to wear it, is a sign that' they rank high in scholarship. This is an honor that is not as esteemed as it should be always, in these days when athletic prizes are regarded as the one thing needful for pre-eminence in the universities. But young Taft makes a proud father, feel very happy today. How Lang Will It Last! Baker City Herald. For some time the state has prac tically been under the dictation of George E. Chamberlain. The present Legislature proved to be his servants, the different commissions are children of his parentage, and now he asks the state to bankrupt itself in an attempt to build railroads. How long will the hypnotic spell last? That Everlasting- Conundrum. Yet, In the face of such things, there are rascals, fools and liars who dare to say that a man may be a Prohibi tionist and remain a Democrat! Louisville Courier-Journal. Here is another confusing acid test for the philosophers who are trying to solve the riddle. "What is a Demo crat?' New York Tribune. That's Hopeless. TJoulsvlIIe Courier-Journal. The St. Louis Journal of Agriculture calculates that our horses are worth $1,974,000,000, our mules $437,082,000, our milch cows $702,943,000, other cattle $Sfi3,- 74,0O0, .sheep $192,632,000 and swine $354, 745,000. Nobody has ye undertaken to figure out what our United States Sena tors are worth. . Life's Sunny Side This anecdote concerning one Wilhelni. Kaiser of Germany, bears inherent evi dence of its truth. When the much-discussed monarch was a small boy he was discovered by one of his tutors drawing a map of Africa. When he had finished he wrote the word "Germany" across tho paper. "What are you doing?" asked the teacher. "That is not German territory." "That is all right." retorted Wilhelni. "When I am Kaiser it will be." Chicago Tribune. A country correspondent for a Ken tucky newspaper once found himself In he mountains of that state looking for items of interest to his Journal. "There ain't a bit of news," ssld one farmer. "All down this way are too busy with their crops to think of anything else." "Fine crops this year, eh?" asked the correspondent. "Couldn't be better." asserted the farm er. "I oughter be in my field right now. an' I would be only I come to town to see the Coroner." "The Coroner?" "Yes; he's wanted to hold an Inquest on a couple of fellers in -our place." "Accident?" "I reckon not! Ran Morgan ain't doln' nuthln' like that by accident! He got Jim Jeffords an' his brother Tom with two shots! Got to have- an Inquest, thou eh." "What led to the fight?" "There wa'n't no fight. Ran never gtve the other fellers any chance to make it a fight. Jes hid behind a tree an' give It to 'em as they come along." "Has Ran been arrested?" "No. What's the use? Some o" the Jeffords people come along, burned down Ran's house, shot him an' his wife, an' set fire to his barn. No. Ran ain't been arrested. But I ain't got time to stand heah talkin" to you. Got to git back to my harvestin. But there ain't any news down our way. Ef anything happens I'll let you know." Harper's Weekly. Walter Ward Biller tells the following story about a hardware store in rU. Louis which advertised for an errand boy. As It happened, the boss was talking to a customer when a boy camo in. Think ing he wanted to buy something, he ex cused himself, and., going over to the boy, asked him what he could do for him. The boy told him that he came In answer to his advertisement and asked for the Job. Well, of course, tho boss got mad by being disturbed while he was talking to a customer. He said to the boy. "You so outside and walk a block. If I call you back, why, I Will hire you; If I don't, why, you just keep right on walking." The boy did as he was told, but, golns out, he picked up a shovel that was standing near the door, put it on his back and started down the street. Before he had gone ten fnet the old man was after him, yelling: "Come back! Come back!" The boy came back, tooX oft his coat, and asked where he wanted him to work downstairs or upstairs, or where. The man took one good look at him and said: "I guess I'll hire you. Never mind putting your coat on. Start right in." Judge. A woman journalist at the Colony Club was praising Mrs. Taft. "She will form a salon at the White House." said the journalist. "Washing ton, under her regime, will become tho center of art and letters, as well as tho center of politics." "She deplored during my Interview the scorn of, culture that marks our ultra smart "set. She said it had not always been so. She cited Harriet Lano John ston as a . typical society woman of cul ture in the past. "When Miss Lane." she said, "lived In London with her uncle, the Ambassador, an English nobleman was most attentive to her one night at dinner. "Miss Lane's hands were very beautlfuT. The nobleman, gently touching one of them as It lay on tho cloth, quoted Gray: " 'Hands that the rod of empire might have swayed.' Miss Lane's smiling retort was the completion of the couplet: " "Or wake to ecstasy the living lyre.' " Washington Herald. David B. Hill, ex-Governor of and Sen ator from New York, has a secluded hat ter somewhere in the state who makes his high hatsafter elaborate plans drawn by Mr. Hill many years ago, and not changed since. One night Governor Odell, of New York, was giving a reception In Albany, and Mr. Roosevelt, then elected Vice-President, met Mr. Hill on the steps of the New York executive mansion. .Roosevelt wore a black rougn-naer nat and Hill had one of his peculiar sky pieces. "Senator." said Roosevelt, "you should wear a hat like thl3 one that I have on. They are much easier on tho head, pre serve the hair and are altogether bettor than Bilk ones." Mr. Hill looked at the coming Vice President. "My dear sir," he said, "I haven't worn a hat like that since I went out of the sbow business." Rochester Herald. . Local Option and Oregon "Journalism." PILOT ROCK, Or., Feb. 23. (To tho Editor.) The Pilot Rock News, after a precarious existence of upward of one year, has Joined the "silent majority." At a meeting of the stockholders early last week It was decided to pay all out standing bills and ship the Washington hand press and type to Pendleton, where It will be stored until disposed of. The News was not without a mission. Its object in life was to put tho Record out of business and to represent tho , "wet" sentiment that irevailed at the time of Its birth. Without a saloon in the town and all the old "soaks" having become members of the church or joined the gang at V alia Walla and Buker City, the News very wisely decided to give up the ghost- The change, however, from a "wet" to a dry" town has In creased rather than diminlsheu the popu lation of Pilot Rock. K. G. Girl Angler Lands 40-Pound Finn. Washington (D. C.) Post. A Chicago girl visiting at Palm Beach, Fla., caught an amberjack (tish) weigh ing 40 pounds. Revised Vampirs. M. B. Williams In Chicago Record-Herald. A woman there was. and she loved a- man. (Even as others have donei It has been woman's way since the world began. We called him a burlesque on Nature's plan. But she loved him as only a woman can; Even as otners nave aone. O, she did not know, and she could not Jcnow, When she gave him her heart and hand. That her proud, red lips would be made to sup The bitter dregs from humility's cup; For she did not understand. A woman there .was. and she tried to ket-p (Even as others have done) All slumbering doubts and fears asleep. But into her heart there fuin would creep What others had sown she was forced tt. . " reap, Even as others have done. O, the waiting hours and the wakeful hours, And the toil of head and hand; The- honor and faith and devotion rare Are lost in the depths of a deep despair, For she learned to understand. ' s) She made her prayer hut to be denied; (.Even as others have done) Bhe was shorn of her youth, her grace, her pride. But she loved the man until the day she died; And she tried from the world her grief tc hide. Even as others have done. O. the hearts that ache and the hearts that break When a blow from fate's strong hand Has shattered to atoms her Idols of trust. And we And It was made of common dust. And know, and understand.